> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://checkly-422f444a-paula-tree-202-entitlements-group-troubles.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Private Locations Overview

> Monitor internal systems and test from custom locations using Checkly Private Locations. Run checks from within your own infrastructure with the lightweight Checkly Agent.

<Tip>
  **Monitoring as Code**: Learn more about the [Private Location Construct](/constructs/private-location).
</Tip>

<Note>
  Private Locations require **Owner** or **Admin** permissions to create and manage.
</Note>

Private Locations enable you to run Checkly monitoring from within your own infrastructure. By deploying a lightweight Checkly Agent, you can monitor internal systems, test from specific geographic locations, and maintain complete control over your monitoring environment.

A Private Location is a custom monitoring location that you control by deploying Checkly Agent containers in your infrastructure. These agents connect securely to Checkly and execute your checks from within your network environment.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/checkly-422f444a-paula-tree-202-entitlements-group-troubles/Svge-qdMueX0ak-N/images/private-locations/pl_started_1.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=Svge-qdMueX0ak-N&q=85&s=e32b25483c1641a9abb629e00687a3b2" alt="Private Locations dashboard showing active agents and configuration" width="1325" height="898" data-path="images/private-locations/pl_started_1.png" />

## How Private Locations Work

The process is straightforward and secure:

1. **Create a Private Location** in your Checkly account
2. **Deploy Checkly Agents** using the provided API key
3. **Configure your checks** to use your Private Location
4. **Monitor results** just like any other Checkly check

## Key Benefits

### Network-Level Access

Private Locations run inside your network perimeter, giving you access to:

* Internal APIs and services not exposed to the internet
* Development and staging environments
* Database connections and internal tools
* Services behind VPNs or private networks

### Geographic Flexibility

Deploy agents anywhere to get location-specific insights:

* Test from regions not covered by Checkly's global network
* Monitor from your actual data center locations
* Validate performance from specific customer regions
* Meet regulatory requirements for local testing

### Security and Compliance

Maintain complete control over your monitoring environment:

* Keep sensitive data within your network
* Meet compliance requirements for data residency
* Maintain audit trails within your infrastructure
* Use your existing security policies and controls

### Scalable and Resilient

Design for production workloads:

* Horizontal scaling with multiple agents
* Automatic load distribution across agents
* Graceful handling of agent failures
* Zero-downtime updates and maintenance

## Requirements

Before setting up Private Locations, ensure you have:

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Infrastructure Requirements">
    * Container runtime (Docker, Podman, or similar)
    * Outbound HTTPS access to `agent.checklyhq.com`
    * Network access to your target applications
    * Sufficient CPU and memory resources
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Access Requirements">
    * Checkly account with Owner or Admin role
    * Ability to deploy containers in your infrastructure
    * Network configuration permissions
    * Optional: HTTP proxy configuration capability
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Resource Requirements">
    <Info>
      **Memory Guidelines:**

      * API checks: \~150MB per concurrent check
      * Browser checks: \~1.5GB per concurrent check
      * Minimum recommended: 2 CPU cores, 4GB RAM for mixed workloads
    </Info>
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Agent Lifecycle Management

### Agent Status Monitoring

Checkly monitors agent connectivity and health:

* **Active**: Agent is connected and processing checks
* **Unavailable**: No agents connected for 10+ minutes
* **Degraded**: Some agents disconnected, reduced capacity

When a Private Location becomes unavailable, Checkly automatically:

* Stops scheduling new checks for that location
* Emails account owners and admins
* Resumes scheduling when agents reconnect

### Load Distribution

Multiple agents in the same Private Location automatically:

* Share check execution load
* Provide redundancy and high availability
* Handle graceful failover during agent restarts
* Requeue checks from failed agents (300-second timeout)
